how do I change the default browser in ios 8?

I have always loved apple products, ever since the first Macs. However, I think this is the stupidest thing apple has done. To not allow a user to select a preferred browser on iPhone is ridiculous! I can do it on my iMac! My wife can do it on her crappy android phone. I can even do it on my Windows PC. The. Why not for my iPhone?!

Come on apple developers! Get with the program here!

Masterfurr wrote:

I have always loved apple products, ever since the first Macs. However, I think this is the stupidest thing apple has done. To not allow a user to select a preferred browser on iPhone is ridiculous! I can do it on my iMac! Your Mac is a computer not an iOS devcie, all computers can select what browser they want although many Windows programs won't run on any but IE.

My wife can do it on her crappy android phone. I'd say "crappy" is the operative word here.

I can even do it on my Windows PC. See "computer" part above.

The. Why not for my iPhone?! Not sure I understand the question? You can have Chrome, Firefox, so, what do you mean, exactly, by "default" browswer?

Come on apple developers! Get with the program here! Apple is not here - we are just users like you 🙂

GB

You can't. Certain apps allow you to choose a default browser to associate with that app, but you cannot set it for the system as a whole.

~Lyssa

Wait. That can't be true. I've had Chrome as my default browser on both my iPhone and my iPad for a long time. But I don't recall how I did it! I do know it didn't involve jailbreaking or any hack or special app. Whatever it was, it must have been easy and reasonably obvious at the time. And now I want to set my default back to Safari, and can't figure out how.

So if (for example) you are in the built-in Mail app and tap on a link, Chrome opens?

~Lyssa

Oops. My tail is now between my legs. I was looking at this from the wrong end. Probably 99% of the links I click on to open a browser arrive in an email. Those links all opened Chrome, and so I assumed Chrome was my default browser in general. Not so, it turns out.

What I had done ages ago was configure my Gmail app to open links in Chrome. So Chrome was the "default" only for Gmail. Of course, then once in Chrome, anything else I click on stays in Chrome.

So I correct myself. Safari was still my default browser, except for those links within Gmail.

But if anyone comes across this thread and wants to alter this behavior in the iOS Gmail app, here's where:

• Run the Gmail app.
• Click the little menu icon in the upper left (three parallel stripes).
• Click the Settings gear icon.
• Click "Google Apps" near the bottom (you may have to scroll down).
• Turn "Chrome" on or off at your preference. On means links will go to Chrome; off means they'll go to Safari.

I apologize for my confusion!

Just wanted to make sure things stayed clear - I figured you were using another email app and had it set to go to Chrome.

🙂

~Lyssa

Bummer! iOS *****! My iPad is just a glorified video player.

What do you mean? How does having Safari as your default browser reduce it to a glorified video player? Do you have a question you would like to ask? Your comment is on a thread that is over a year and a half old, so not sure what it is you are needing?

GB

This helped, thanks!